These Girls Tagged Articles at Cinematical
NYFF Review: These Girls
Filed under: Documentary », Theatrical Reviews », DIY/Filmmaking », New York »
In her latest documentary, director Tahani Rached takes us deep into the lives of adolescent girls living on the streets of Cairo, a place where violence, sex and drugs are a way of life. Be that as it may, the streets also provide these girls with the two things they cherish most -- freedom and love. From the opening shot of a young teen named Tata galloping down a busy street atop a horse, darting between cars and playfully teasing the plethora of honking horns and distraught motorists around her, we catch a whiff of power, not fatigue. It's this scene that defines the overall tone of These Girls, a film that focuses more on the present, and less on whatever traumatic event forced these children out of their homes and onto the streets.
In the case of Tata, she's been calling the streets home since age six, and has since become somewhat of a leader to this pack of rebellious teens. She has an edge that none of the other girls carry, yet they all share the same weakness -- men. Throughout the film, the girls share their concerns and fears of being kidnapped by random men to be held in a shack as some sort of sexual hostage. However, it's not the rape that bothers them -- they're more afraid of these men scarring their face, an act that's considered a major insult and perhaps the worst possible thing that could happen to a girl on the streets of Cairo.
NYFF Lineup Revealed
Filed under: Action », Documentary », Drama », Foreign Language », Horror », Thrillers », Newsstand », New York », Cinematical Indie »
The powers that be behind the New York Film Festival have announced their full lineup for 2006, a list that features 28 films unfolding over a relatively leisurely two weeks of screenings. In addition to the previously-announced The Queen, Volver, Reds and Pan's Labyrinth, the slate -- like that of any good small festival -- is a mix of high-profile and obscure; domestic and foreign. The full list can be found here, but some highlights include: David Lynch's The Inland Empire (Can you imagine how many people will flip out if this thing is bad? We've been waiting for it for so damn long.), Johnnie To's The festival opens on September 29; watch the NYFF website for ticket info.
New On DVD - The Producers, The Ringer, When A Stranger Calls
Filed under: New Releases », DVD Reviews », New on DVD », Home Entertainment », Columns »
• Doogal - A saccharine, cheap-looking CGI import from Britain about a lazy, cowardly, sugar-addicted pooch (with a mullet cut) who must find a way to save the world from an icy death is not the follow-up to Hoodwinked that Disney escapees Bob and Harvey Weinstein hoped for...or we asked for. At least they've got the swell Over The Hedge in theaters this week. Formerly titled The Magic Roundabout and re-dubbed (Doogal, that is. Not Over The Hedge.)
• Duma - With most arthouse films rated "R", it is always a pleasure when one comes along that culture mavens can take their kids to, and The Black Stallion director Carroll Ballard's latest nature trek -- a visually lovely adventure -- certainly does fit that bill. It is about a 12-year-old South African boy (Alexander Michaletos) who must return his pet cheetah to the wild, encountering and overcoming a number of obstacles along the way, the biggest one being our initial reluctance to accept its premise.
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